Barkley fuels late Blackwater surge as Bossing stun Magnolia to stay unbeaten

Blackwater preserved its unbeaten record in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors' Cup after finishing strong to defeat Magnolia, 89-81, on Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Import Kentrell Barkley led the way once again, tallying 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Bossing closed the game with a decisive 10-0 run to erase a two-point deficit in the final minutes.

Trailing 81-79 with less than four minutes left, Blackwater locked down defensively while Barkley took charge on offense, scoring eight points during the game-ending burst. He capped the victory with an emphatic one-handed dunk with 32.8 seconds remaining to seal the outcome.

The win came on the heels of Blackwater's 131-108 rout of Rain or Shine in its opener, giving the Pat Aquino-coached squad back-to-back victories over two of the league's established contenders.

"Masaya ako kasi my players are having fun," Aquino said, expressing his satisfaction with the team's strong response after a disappointing Commissioner's Cup campaign.

RK Ilagan continued his solid play with 20 points, including two crucial free throws during the decisive run. Dalph Panopio added 12 points, while Sedrick Barefield finished with 10 as the Bossing overcame the absence of injured forward Christian David, who was sidelined with a knee injury.

Blackwater will try to improve to 3-0 when it faces Meralco on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Magnolia, meanwhile, remained winless after dropping to 0-2 despite another standout performance from import KJ Buffen, who recorded 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Buffen nearly carried the Hotshots to victory after scoring seven straight points to turn a deficit into an 81-79 lead with 3:57 left. However, Magnolia was held scoreless the rest of the way as Blackwater's defense took control in the closing stretch.

Jerom Lastimosa chipped in 11 points, while Ian Sangalang added 10, but no other Magnolia player scored in double figures as the Hotshots absorbed their second straight loss after also falling to Phoenix in their conference opener.

Magnolia will look to break into the win column when it takes on Meralco next Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.